South Street Sam’s World Cup: Morocco, Iraq, USA and the Philly lens behind it all

PHILADELPHIA - South Street Sam has made a name for himself by photographing the people of Philadelphia, but this World Cup is bringing his own story into focus.

The Philly photographer behind South Street Sam

Sami Aziz, known online as South Street Sam, is a Philadelphia street photographer with 1.3 million followers on Instagram.

"I go by South Street Sam on Instagram," Aziz said. "I'm a street photographer, and I take portraits of people around Philly, mostly on South Street, but around Philly as well."

WATCH: South Street Sam interview with FOX Northeast Digital World Cup correspondent Tyler Thrasher

Aziz’s videos often show him walking up to strangers, introducing himself and asking to take their portraits. Some are everyday people. Others are celebrities. But Aziz said the approach is the same.

"What you see is what you get," Aziz said. "It's not like a persona I'm putting on or anything."

Aziz said part of that comes from growing up in Quaker schools in Philadelphia, where he learned the value of seeing good in other people.

"I try to humanize subjects, whether they're everyday people or A-list celebrities," Aziz said. "I try to treat everyone equally."

South Street as home

For Aziz, South Street is more than a backdrop.

His mother immigrated from Morocco and worked at South Street Souvlaki while she was in college at Temple University. His father, who is Iraqi, had an electronics shop on the same block. Aziz said one of his favorite childhood memories was going with his father to check on the store, then walking to Penn’s Landing to see the boats.

Now, South Street has become part of his identity.

"I think of it like a melting pot of different vibes and cultures," Aziz said. "I think South Street for me now, it's home for sure, but it's also just like the most diverse eclectic mix of vibes you can find in Philly."

That is also what makes the World Cup feel so natural to him.

Three teams, one World Cup

Aziz said the expanded World Cup field makes this tournament especially personal: The U.S., Morocco and Iraq are all in it.

"It's super cool because I was born here in Philly, so I can cheer for team USA," Aziz said. "And then also, my mom's Moroccan and I can cheer for team Morocco and my dad is Iraqi so I can cheer for team Iraq."

For Aziz, that overlap is only possible because this World Cup is bigger than any before it.

"With the expanded format and the 48 teams, all three nationalities that I can kind of relate to are represented," Aziz said. "And it makes it especially exciting for me."

The 2026 World Cup expanded to 48 teams for the first time, with matches being played across the United States, Canada and Mexico. FIFA’s schedule has Morocco in Group C, the U.S. in Group D and Iraq in Group I.

Morocco, Iraq and the Philly connection

For Aziz, the geography of this World Cup makes it even more personal. He was able to attend Morocco’s opener against Brazil at New York New Jersey Stadium, while Iraq is scheduled to face France at Philadelphia Stadium on June 22. He also was able to catch Iraq's Group I opener against Norway in Boston on June 16. 

Aziz said the World Cup reflects the same kind of cultural mix he sees every day through his photography.

"I would say that part of the drive to relate to so many different types of people is my background," Aziz said.

He said growing up around different cultures gave him a wider view of people and identity.

"When exposed to such different cultures at a young age and everything, it teaches you that there is more than one way to life," Aziz said.

The Morocco side of his story

Aziz recently traveled to Morocco during the African Cup of Nations, a trip he said deepened his connection to the country.

He described being inside the stadium for the final as "unlike anything else."

"It was still just being in a sea of red jerseys and just hearing the chants," Aziz said. "It was incredible."

He said the experience strengthened his connection to his family’s culture.

"I feel like it really instilled in me sort of this deep fire and passion for cheering on my parents' teams and sort of hanging on to my culture," Aziz said.

For Aziz, Morocco and Philadelphia both feel like home.

"Philly and Morocco are two homes for me for sure," he said.

The Iraq side of his story

Aziz said the World Cup has also given him a chance to connect more deeply with his Iraqi side.

He said he grew up more familiar with Moroccan culture because he was raised closely by his Moroccan grandparents, but Iraq’s World Cup appearance gives him another reason to learn.

"It's been the most exciting for me to learn more about my Iraqi side," Aziz said.

He said he has not visited Iraq, but seeing the national team on the World Cup stage carries meaning.

"I'm just really excited for them as a team because they're entering this World Cup and they're playing against a finalist from the last World Cup," Aziz said. "So for them to represent their country on a global stage like that, it must be so exciting for the players."

Why representation matters

Aziz said seeing countries represented at the World Cup can give people something to hold onto, especially those living far from where their families came from.

"I think it can give like a lot of people hope to see their country represented on the global stage," Aziz said. "It makes so many people happy."

He said sports can open the door for people to learn about one another.

"Sport brings people together," Aziz said.

That is part of why Aziz sees the expanded World Cup field as meaningful.

"People get to have these memories," Aziz said. "Kids get to watch their favorite players competing."

What's next:

For Aziz, the World Cup is not just another sporting event. It is a chance to celebrate the U.S., Morocco and Iraq at the same time, while experiencing part of it in the city where his own story began.

To close the interview, Aziz had a message for all three countries.

"For Morocco I want to say 'dima maghreb', which means always Morocco," Aziz said. "Growing up also, my dad would always say 'shaku maku,' which means like what's up. And for America, it's our 250th anniversary, we're hosting a World Cup, so God Bless America, man."

Then, fittingly for a Philly storyteller, he ended with a simple message: "Go Birds."

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